By Dr Tasaduk Hussain Itoo

The recent death linked to hantavirus has pushed the little-known disease back into public attention, reviving concerns about how easily dangerous infections can remain ignored until tragedy strikes. 

Hantavirus may not spread like Covid-19, but its sudden appearance in the headlines is a reminder that even relatively rare diseases can expose serious gaps in public health preparedness.

Scientists first identified the disease during the Korean War after thousands of United Nations soldiers developed high fever, bleeding complications, and kidney failure near the Hantan River in South Korea. 

Decades later, the virus still poses serious medical and scientific questions. Researchers have identified multiple strains throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas, each linked to specific rodent hosts and distinct disease patterns.

Asia and Europe mainly report Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, a condition that attacks the kidneys and blood vessels. North and South America more commonly confront Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, one of the deadliest respiratory infections known in modern medicine. 

Severe cases destroy lung function with terrifying speed. Patients often arrive at hospitals with fever, muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, and headache that resemble ordinary viral illness. 

Within days, breathing collapses. Fluid floods the lungs, and intensive care teams scramble to place patients on ventilators. Fatality levels in severe pulmonary disease can reach 35 to 40 percent.

Those numbers demand attention.

Rodents........

© Kashmir Observer